The Graduate: At 24 Years Old, the ES Becomes a Chip Off the Old (LS) Block

Lexus' volume sedan started life as little more than a Toyota Camry playing dress-up. With this sixth-generation model, it departs the Camry platform (for the related Avalon's) and matriculates to true baby-LS status. Actually, make that adult son of LS -- the key interior and exterior dimensions of the new 2013 Lexus ES scale to between 96 and 99 percent of the LS 460's, and the rear legroom is actually greater than that of the short-wheelbase LS. Its coupe-like profile and rear-end design ape the big car faithfully too. Of course, with the carryover 3.5-liter V-6, the power scales at 71 percent, and if you opt for the newly available ES 300h hybrid that percentage drops to 53. And fear not, the base price should remain at just over half that of the LS 460.

By upgrading to the 1.7-inch longer Avalon wheelbase and significantly rearranging the furniture, the 2013 ES finds an impressive 4.1 inches of additional rear legroom, and even with that swoopier looking rear window, there's 0.7 inch more rear headroom too. An inch of added overall length and a higher rear deck make the trunk roomier by 0.4 cubic foot in the ES 350 (15.2 total) -- plan to upsize your golf clubs accordingly, but test-fit your Big Berthas in the ES 300h's trunk, where the hybrid's battery hogs 3.1 precious cubes. As expected of any new car, the ES is stiffened by extra spot welds, strut-tower/cowl bracing and the like, and it's lightened by 90 pounds thanks to the greater use of high-strength steels.

The LS-ification of the ES manifests in richer interior materials like a contrasting stitching on the dash that is hand sewn by one of 12 Takumi masters who must pass a manual dexterity test by folding an origami cat with their non-dominant hand in 90 seconds (Japan truly is a different world). Dexterous drivers will appreciate the next-gen haptic joystick multi-function controller, which trades the former version's spherical orbit for motion in a single plane with a push-to-click mouse action instead of a separate select button. It should prove way more user friendly when controlling the smart-phone apps that Lexus Enform now enables.

To soothe animal-lovers' consciences, standard leather gives way to a volatile-compound-free NuLuxe leatherette, but ordering practically any of the cool options or packages forces an upgrade to perforated leather or even the baby-soft semi-aniline stuff. Go nuts on the order form selecting the 835-watt 15-speaker Mark Levinson 5.1 audio system, rear-seat sunshades, heated wood steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, power closing trunk, and more, and the price gap with the flagship closes considerably. New safety gear includes side airbags that extend down for pelvis protection, and optional blind-spot warning, cross-traffic alert, and automatic high-beam assist.

The ES 300h model essentially drops in the Camry Hybrid drivetrain and battery pack with only minor tuning tweaks, but lower aerodynamic drag nudges the Lexus' EPA city/highway figures up from Camry's 40/38 to 40/39 mpg. Lexus expects the hybrid to lure younger buyers, so its suspension is tuned for sharper, crisper handling. All models also get a new Drive Mode Select system that tailors throttle response for eco, normal, or sport driving, with the latter setting also firming up the electric power steering effort by a reported (but undetectable) 20 percent. A quicker steering ratio (14.8:1 versus 16.1:1) means the wheel needs less spinning, but when you do spin it quickly for a U-turn you can clearly hear the assist motor whirring from just behind the instrument panel. The dash glows blue in Eco and red in Sport, but sadly the suspension is not adjustable. The transmission shift logic is not affected by Drive Mode Select, and it's none too intuitive about holding gears when cornering.

That's because few of the million-plus ES owners ever "corner" their cars aggressively. They merely steer them, paying no heed to any communication that might struggle from the tires to the helm. It's just not that kind of car, which is why no F Sport or even all-wheel-drive variant has ever been seriously contemplated. The slightly starchier setup found in the hybrid and newly available 18-inch wheel package is therefore as athletic as an ES gets. How athletic is it? The biggest difference we detected was extra road noise transmitted by the tires, though careful back-to-back drives in 17- and 18-inch ES 350 test cars revealed marginally higher cornering limits. The level of body-motion control still qualifies as luxo-soft and the steering remains numb irrespective of mode-switch twiddling, which is why any prospective buyer smitten by the style of the 18s should probably take a long test drive before committing.

Lexus claims the ES 300h hybrid will accelerate about a second slower than the ES 350 (8.1 versus 7.1 to 60 mph). It feels plenty quick enough accelerating through the non gears, but the roaring four-cylinder engine note sounds decidedly downscale of the V-6. The price, however, is expected to start around $3000 dearer (equipment levels are identical), but fuel savings will easily pay back the difference in less than 50,000 miles. Traditional ES buyers may also be put off by the hybrid model's brake-pedal feel. The regenerative braking yields a non-linear response that makes it difficult to execute smooth stops. This seems inexcusable from a company with such a long history of producing hybrid cars. Sadly this hybrid offers nothing fancier than the Camry's energy-flow and mpg-history displays, which fall well short of Ford's state-of-the-art hybrid screens.

Bottom line: The restyle adds character and panache to a car that desperately needed a big dose of it, and the resemblance to the senior Lexus will surely appeal to social climbers. The standard Lexus ES 350 with 17-inch tires remains perhaps the safest model to recommend to mild-mannered non-enthusiast friends looking for a car in the entry-lux class. Similarly, the hybrid is probably a safe call for younger car-indifferent pals looking for a roomy bucks-up hybrid, as they're likely to appreciate the haptic controller integration of their favorite apps. Our ES may be all grown up, but it still has a few life-lessons left to learn.

"The restyle adds character and panache to a car that desperately needed a big dose of it..."Yeah right! Love the look of the front end! LOL! I do not think one could design a front end that is so ugly unless you have an "Predator" do it for Lexus. Anyhow, it not going to hurt BMW,Audi, Jag or Merc sale that for sure!

Nice update. And, yeah, this car is rarely cross-shopped with BMW, but more with Audi, Toyota and Buick. For those who've never driven one in the past, it's a very pleasant drive. I love my noisy, jiggly, anxious sports cars, but plopping down in one of these after a long day isn't a bad proposition.Lexus, are you listening? You don't hear about something barely mentioned in this article: the care with which these cars are built. Not since the LS 400 intro have we heard about the special attention paid to things like the stitcher's test. These are *not* Toyotas, engineered and built differently. Yes, they use many components, and is a good place to start, but assembly, paint, materials, NVH engineering... a entirely different approach is used. All one has to do is take a look at a decently cared for first-gen LS and you'll get it. Lexus needs to tell their prospective consumers about the actual pains they go through. The myriad details add up to a great ownership experience.

Finally Lexus, taking some risks when it comes to updating the ES! I can understand in the past why Lexus would not want to take any chances when it comes to the ES and RX...but sometimes there comes a time where you HAVE to take risks or risk falling behind.This risk will pay off BIG for Lexus. The ES is no longer a car that blends in and goes unnoticed. I love the aggressive front ends that Lexus has designed. It's not too much where it will turn off precious, current and future ES drivers.The interior design of the dash, center console and IP looks beautiful, simple and functional..Can't wait to see sales at the end of the year.

@ coldgame and Frank Markus (writter of this article) criticisms of the ES's lack of athleticism and steering communication and comparisons to the BMW 3 series are with all due respect ludicrous. The Lexus ES model was relieved of all sporty and athletic duties in 1998 with the arrival of the IS. From then on the ES has been free to focus on pure luxury and no longer has any aspirations to compete with 3 Series, C Class, A4, baby Caddy or any of the like. Lexus has charged that mission to the IS models. Frank should already know this. For what it offers the ES is a high value model in the entry/near luxury catagory.

Base price of $38k is too close to BMW 3 series.New 3 series is larger than previous generation withefficient and powerful turbo 4 cylinder engine with great mpg.So if you don't need a large car, at almost $40k, BMW 3 series would be a better buy.

@BD:several Chryslers have auto high beams and the Cadillac STS had them in 2004. Its nothing new. Someone mentioned FE advantage vs Lacrosse- thats true for the hybrid (which is likely to have a $40k base price), but the base lacrosse is the eassist version which is more efficient than the base ES- not to mention cheaper. And in spite of the Buick entering its 4th year it has almost all the features on this new ES. The wheels on the standard car are horrible. It really kills the profile view of the car.

The front end is typical toyota craptastic "design" all they did is drop a hiedous grille in with the same basic headlight design they have been using for decades. The back end is especially vomit-inducing with that oh so beautiful Toyota flat and square ass. THe interior looks terrible. There must be 100 cut-lines all over that lower dash and cheap blank plastic squares if your too cheap or stupid to get the other options. Too many shapes and no flow to any of it. Its as if they already know the people that buy these drone-mobiles are fat, old and ugly and have no sense of style. For those below that think this thing looks good, well, your parents obviously own a Camry, show stopping Corolla, or beautiful Avalon since only other toyota buyers like these sloth-mobiles anyway. Now get this hunk of shit out the way already im trying to drive!

I recall someone high up in Toyota scoffing about how much the new ES would blow the Lacrosse away. Not seeing it. Same old V6, new weird looking design. The only benefit over the Buick is FE, and I doubt that's worth 8 to 10 grand to any sane person.

It's not the most thrilling car, but it's not intended to be either. Do I like Lexus, no, but I can give credit to Toyota for producing a well thought out vehicle which will appeal to it's usual market. Updated styling inside and out and for 38 to 41K with plenty of standard features, this ES gives the buyer everything it did in the 90's when it was the less expensive more reliable Mercedes back then. Still not a fan, but GM better step up and take notice, because the LaCross will need to match or exceed this ES once again to continue to take back it's market place.

@nick:Styling is subjective, but this grille is polarizing. The older ES models were never polarizing, even if you werent impressed you werent turned off. The front end of this car is enough of a reason to not buy it as far as Im concerned. Looks terrible and aside from that the car has no styling trait worth noting. The new Avalon is just as large, better looking and will be cheaper. Why get this again?

I'm stunned at how good looking this car is (I'm 19 by the way). I don't get the nay nay sayers, but that "predator" grille looks stunning applied here. It looks low and agile (yes, I know, it's not really). The sleek roofline and planted rear just scream luxury. And damn, even the interior is gorgeous. Who cares if it doesn't drive like a sporty car. It's marketed towards upper-class elderly anyway. Lexus is on a roll with these new models. I wish I could say the same about Acura...

Horrible front end, has to be one of the worst looking grills on the market. Way to much going on and all the wrong angles. The rest of the car is not terrible, but I could never look at that grill and be pleased with my car....yuk

For some reason I thought this car looked better when the pics were shown earlier this year. The wheels on the ES350 are terrible and really make the car look dull. The new avalon looks WAY better than this and will cost less. Also not a fan of the GS copy interior. The legroom is impressive and this will please loyal buyers. With all these new gadgets I see a lot of price overlap coming between this and the XTS. I'm sure ES will top $50k now.

I really try to like Lexus but I just can't seem to get the image of an old man driving all of the Lexus' lineup. It's like trying to like a smart girl that has a BMW (Body Made Wrong) that you'd like to be attracted to her for her intelligence but her body looks like an old woman who has had 30 kids in her lifetime and you just can't seem to see your future with her. IF (big IF) I had to go to Japanese cars, I really like Infinity's looks, sound, and driving dynamics...but I'll stick to my German beauties for now...smart and hot, can't beat that. Oh by the way Lexus, please stop with the LED thing, it's Audi's thing and it only works on an Audi.

The ES was never sold locally so I cannot make a comment. However, Infiniti is set to launch here next month and after seeing their cars, I can see how Nissan (Infiniti) will steal sales from Toyota (Lexus)

Inside Line put up their review today, and they say the standard model and hybrid show NO DIFFERENCE in brake feel.Lexus wants to basically go from selling 4k a month now to 5k a month.Between the hybrid model, the humungous back seat, and the new interior, that should be about what it does....BD

well it was smart of Lexus to stick to their target market with this car. It would have been stupid of them to go sporty. But once again it is a boring machine targeted at those who couldn't care less about driving.

Am I the only one that thinks the zig-zag gated shifter looks ridiculous in a luxury car?The GS is a VASTLY better looking and superior car, whereas they obviously grafted on the "predator grill" after the design process of this car was already over.

I've never owned any Toyota product, but my wife and I did test drive the current model 350. Though we're seniors, we're not ready for a sedan but found it spacious, comfortable, smooth-riding, and high quality. I'd get this over the Avalon if I wanted this type of car. I was expecting just an average ride as the wheelbase is smaller than Chrysler 300 and former mid-sized cars I used to have, but it was impressive in the ride department, as was the RX350.